Tuesday, August 19, 2008

A Debt of Gratitude We Owe



This past Sunday we had the privilege of having Enoh dedicated in our home church in Orahovica. Adding to the occasion was the fact that most of Petra’s immediate family was able to attend the dedication before returning to America. Enoh literally means ‘dedicated’ so it was fitting that we dedicated him to the Lord in the presence of family and fellow believers.

During the service and at other times since Enoh was born I’ve had an overwhelming sense of how many people had a part to play in his and our well-being. The Lord has blessed us with a number of people who have shown through their actions that they genuinely care for us. While it is certainly necessary to thank them in person, I think it would be fitting to use this space to acknowledge some of those people to whom we are especially grateful. In no particular order:

- Pastor Slobodan and his wife Lidija Stojkovic who will probably never read this and if they heard me say the word ‘blog’ they would probably think I was mispronouncing the Croatian word for ‘God’ (Bog). Nevertheless, they cut their vacation two days short and drove 13 hours from the crowded Croatian coast so that we could have Enoh’s dedication on Sunday. This is just one example of their humble and selfless dedication to the church in Croatia.

- My Grandparents who have always been faithful to pray and send encouraging cards and emails. Your cards make our day every time we receive them! My Grandma must have spent countless hours on the quilt pictured below.

- Our friends Milo and Erin Wilson who organized a baby shower for Petra. They contacted our family and friends and encouraged them to send us something from our registry. Baby supplies and clothes are at least double the price here in Croatia and if it weren’t for their thoughtful initiation we wouldn’t have some of the clothes and other necessities for Enoh, not to mention nondisposable diapers that we now have.

- Petra’s sister Tatiana who brought over the aforementioned baby gifts. She received, shopped for and packed most of the baby supplies Enoh will be using. Tatiana also was the most help to Petra during her 59 hours of contractions. Her famous line? “Just breathe out the pain Petra, breathe out the pain!”

- Our many friends and family members who generously shopped for and sent the clothes and baby supplies.

- My parents who gave Enoh his first gift a year ago – before he was even conceived. They also bought what for me is the most significant gift on the registry – the Baby Bjorn. (If you Croatians haven’t seen one of these yet, just wait. I’ll be the coolest daddy in the country.) Most importantly, my parents taught me how to pray for my children. Remembering them pray for me and my future every night of my childhood has become one of the most important memories of my life.

- My brother JB and his fiancé Kristin. They supplied Enoh with the gear necessary to root for the Cubs this year should they become the ‘lovable winners’ and win the World Series. Only problem is, Enoh will have to start eating a lot more if he plans on fitting into it this October.

- Petra’s family whose help has been too invaluable to calculate or express.

1 comment:

Laci and Keri Németh said...

who is that guy with Enoch in the middle???
Do I know him from somewhere???


Lazo von senil